Krypton – Season Review

Kal-El. My future grandson. This is the story of the House of El. Our ending has yet to be written, but this is how it began. Ours is a story of sacrifice and triumph. How the House of El led a revolution against tyranny. The story of your family isn’t how we died. But how we lived.

We know Kal-El, we know of Jor-El, and now we get to learn Seg-El’s story. Krypton takes us on a journey through time and space to Kandor before it’s ruin and destruction. The first season follows Seg-El, the grandfather of Superman, as he tries to save his planet from it’s inevitable destruction, only this time Krypton has enemies everywhere. The creator of the show, David S. Goyer, is no stranger to bringing to life magnificent adaptations of beloved DC Comics stories and did the exact same for Krypton.

The season starts with the fall of House El, Seg’s grandfather Val-El has been convicted of treason and is sentenced to death while the remaining Els are stripped of their status and forced to become rankless. Val had discovered the “Collector of Worlds”, Brainiac, and tried to warn the people of Kandor but was silenced for it. A warning would come again, this time through Adam Strange, a man from earth, who travels through time to warn Seg and secure the future of Superman. Adam brings with him a Sunstone and urges Seg to find the Fortress of Solitude and find the work Val left behind for him.

Krypton excels in many areas but none more so than it’s characters. Seg, the remnant of the House of El, is unlike the grandson we know so much of. He is impulsive, reckless, and emotion driven and that is why he is the hero Krypton needs. He holds strong to his values as an El and always tries to do the right thing, even when it’s difficult. Wherever there’s an El you can find a Zod and in this case it’s Lyta Zod, the mother of Superman’s enemy. Lyta and Seg find themselves in a star-crossed lovers scenario, but with way more complications. Unlike the Zod we know best, Lyta is persistent, loyal and above all else, trying to make Kandor better. She is not on the show to be Seg’s love interest, her character is much more than that, much like Lois and Clark. Her mother Jayna leads Kandor’s military faction and instills honor above of all else. Dev-Em, a fierce member of the sagatari and loyal to a fault. Nyssa Vex is a force to be reckoned with, starting off in the season she seems nothing more than a conniving pawn in her father’s quest to rule Krypton, but just like Lyta, she is more than the house she is from. Adam Strange arrives on Krypton to save Superman and to become a hero, although he hides the full truth of Krypton’s destruction from Seg, he is willing to do whatever he must to ensure Superman is born.

One of the most exciting parts of the show was the cameos of other DC characters mentioned. I was most thrown off when Adam was shown talking to a voice in a room, the voice was revealed to be Sardath and then Alanna made her own “appearance”. Although the show predates Superman we get multiple mentions of him, Jor-El and even a mention of the famous power rings that Lantern Corps members wield. Krypton’s vfx was probably the most impressive part of the show. You never know what to expect when it comes to CGI, especially budgeted on a tv show, but Krypton managed to give us stellar views of the planet, and my favorites, Doomsday and Brainaic’s skull ship.

Villains are arguably the best part of any good story, once you have a good villain the rest falls into place. Although Krypton had not only one good villain, but multiple. From smaller pawns like The Voice of Rao and Daron Vex to Doomsday, Zod and Brainiac. Brainiac was perfect, from his delivery, to his appearance, which is said to have taken the actor 4-7 hours in prosthetic makeup to get the final, terrifying look. From the little we’ve seen of Doomsday, and the destruction that he could bring in the next season, Doomsday will live up to his name. With the finale the villain that reigns supreme is Zod, from his first appearance on the show, seemingly just trying to ensure Krypton’s survival, to finding out his true goal, to rule over Krypton, Zod managed to escape the phantom zone, crush his opposition and become sovereign over Krypton. The whole goal of Adam coming to Krypton was to save the cape, thus guaranteeing Superman’s fate, and in the end the cape was saved, but the symbol changed. Now all will have to kneel to Zod.

After a remarkable season of plot twists, betrayals and more plot twists, Krypton’s second season was officially announced on Tuesday. The second season is anticipated for early 2019. With Zod in charge, Adam and Seg gone, and Doomsday awoken there’s only one thing for sure, Krypton’s fate is still in danger.